‘Captain Marvel’ Has Finally, Officially Found Its Directors

No, you’re not reading that incorrectly, and it’s not a typo: Marvel has hired not one, but two directors to take on Captain Marvel, the studio’s highly-anticipated (and first) solo female superhero film featuring Brie Larson in the title role. Mississippi Grind directors Anna Boden and Ryan Fleck have officially signed on to helm Captain Marvel — an interesting and unexpected choice (or choices) for sure, but one that may be somewhat disappointing to fans.

Marvel Studios head Kevin Feige promised that not only would the director of Captain Marvel be revealed very soon (something we’ve been hearing since last summer, at least), but that the studio was dedicated to finding a woman to helm their first female superhero adventure. So today’s news, via Variety, feels like Marvel is splitting the difference — which isn’t to say that Boden and Fleck aren’t a talented pair or that they won’t deliver a great film, but there’s a sting to this news, as though Marvel just couldn’t trust a woman to hack it on her own.

Captain Marvel is also being scripted by two women: Nicole Perlman (who wrote an earlier draft of Guardians of the Galaxy) and Meg LeFauve (Inside Out). Two directors, two writers (and, let’s be honest, probably more than that given Marvel’s stable of in-house scribes) — OK, sure.

Boden and Fleck’s filmography is impressive and somewhat diverse, though, and includes indie drama Half Nelson as well as episodes of hit Showtime series The Affair and Billions. Despite numerous reports on the studio’s shortlist, which was said to include names like Niki Caro and Lorene Scafaria, Marvel was most impressed with Boden and Fleck and reportedly met with the duo several times before making a decision.

For now, I’ll remain optimistic, but it’s still a bit disappointing that Marvel didn’t hire a solo female director to helm their first solo female superhero movie.